Time: 4p.m.
Cover:none
Sid Marty and Wailback will be performing a benefit concert this
Saturday, September 28, Waterton Opera House during the Waterton
Wildlife Weekend as part of the Missing Piece Rendezvous to Conserve the
Flathead Valley.
Speakers at this event include bear expert Charlie Russell, wolf specialist
Christina Eisenberg and conservationist Harvey Locke.
Admission
is free to this event which begins with an art exhibit on the Flathead
Valley, BC, at 4PM: Wailback performs at 5.30 and 6.50 PM.Full details
on the wildlife weekend and rendezvous can be found at
http://www.watertonwildlife.com/events.php.
Wailback, based in
Pincher Creek, is: Sid Marty, vocals, guitars, mandolin and harmonicas;
James Van Leeuwen, guitar and vocals; Joe Cunningham, percussion; Jay
Collins, lead electric guitar and banjo. The band performs
an eclectic mix of Sid Marty originals, old and new and covers a mix of
folk, blues , country and soft-rock tunes by other artists.
Four
musicians cross paths at The Daily Grind cafe in Pincher Creek,
Alberta. Operated by Myrna Marta, the Grind is a watering hole for the
local creative community. Myrna's husband Sid hosts a regular Friday
night jam at the Grind, and over the next six years the four musicians
play together quite a bit and become good friends. Myrna retires in
2007, the beloved Daily Grind closes, and for the next few years their paths seldom cross.
In late November 2010, at a regular end-of-month jam at the home of one
musician (JvL), the other three all happen to show up. The four
rediscover how much they enjoy playing together, and commit to forming a
band. They debut as Wailback on December 18, 2010 at the grand opening
of the Cowley Restaurant & Pub in Cowley, Alberta, where they now
play every month or two and feast on the very fine vittles.
www.pinchercreekecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2906403
The band's name derives from the Bob Creek Wilderness on the eastern
slopes of the Rocky Mountains, known to locals as the Whaleback. The
eastern slopes are the backdrop to the band members' personal and
professional pursuits, and the Whaleback is their geographic center. In
alphabetical order:
John Bourassa is a talented and
well-traveled guitarist and songwriter with strong Alberta roots and a
deep background in rock, blues and extraterrestrial genres. With
engineering support from bandmate Joe Cunningham, John is recording a
collection of original material for a CD that everyone is aching to
hear, because John defintely has the goods. John operates an
environmental services business from his home in Black Diamond, Alberta.
Joe Cunningham originally hails from Nova Scotia, where he grew up with
music, studied music and played professionally before moving to
Alberta. Joe has composed and self-produced two CDs of strikingly
original material, Burnt Sienna (2009) and World Weary (2010). Both are
available on iTunes. Joe and wife Janice Day operate Cunningham's Scotch
Cold Smoking from their home in Pincher Creek, supplying cold-smoked
trout, char and salmon products to finer restaurants and specialty food
retailers in western Canada. It's smokin' good stuff, just like his
music (www.cunninghamscoldsmoking.com).
Sid Marty is an award-winning writer, poet, raconteur and folk
recording artist with a loyal following in western Canada. Sid's first
CD, Let the River Run, was produced by David Wilkie for Centre Fire
Records in 1991. His second CD, Elsewhere, was produced by Tim Williams
in 2001 for Centre Peak Productions (get 'em both). Sid has also penned
several critically acclaimed books, including Men for the Mountains,
Leaning on the Wind and The Black Grizzly of Whisky Creek. Sid works
from his home below Livingstone Range, just south of the Whaleback (www.sidmarty.com).
James Van Leeuwen is a bluegrass/folk/rock guitarist and singer born
and raised on the eastern slopes, with a keen interest in songs about
people, places and events in southwest Alberta. He's even written a few.
James puts the 'wail' in Wailback and rides herd on the rest of the
cats, backing them up with rhythm guitar. James is an ICT consultant and
entrepreneur, and works from his home in Pincher Creek.
